Globe-trotting GHS grad dies in rock-climbing fall

Neil Vigdor

Updated 9:59 pm, Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here along the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, was killed Sunday, March 31, 2013, when he fell during a rock-climbing expedition on a spring break trip to Namibia. The 2010 Greenwich High School graduate was enrolled in a semester-abroad program in South Africa through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Pacchiana was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here along the coast of...

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here as a member of the University of Pennsylvania marching band, was killed Sunday, March 31, 2013, when he fell during a rock-climbing expedition on a spring break trip to Namibia. The 2010 Greenwich High School graduate was enrolled in a semester-abroad program in South Africa through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Pacchiana was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here as a member of the...

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here in New Zealand, was killed Sunday, March 31, 2013, when he fell during a rock-climbing expedition on a spring break trip to Namibia. The 2010 Greenwich High School graduate was enrolled in a semester-abroad program in South Africa through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Pacchiana was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here in New Zealand, was...

Oliver Pacchiana, 20, of Greenwich, shown here along the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, was killed Sunday, March 31, 2013, when he fell during a rock-climbing expedition on a spring break trip to Namibia. The 2010 Greenwich High School graduate was enrolled in a semester-abroad program in South Africa through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Pacchiana was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Photo: Contributed Photo

"I think he wanted to see as much of the world as he could," Pacchiana's older brother, Nolan Pacchiana, said Wednesday.

A spring break trip to Namibia cut short the promising life of Pacchiana, 20, whose family confirmed to Greenwich Time that the town native was killed Sunday when he fell during a rock-climbing expedition in the African nation.

"We were actually planning on visiting him in May," said Nolan Pacchiana, a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y. "We're still going to take that trip."

The younger Pacchiana is being remembered by friends and teachers as a well-rounded student who was also fascinated by electric cars, played the tuba in the marching band and was an integral part of a team fielded by GHS in the national "We the People" competition that is modeled after congressional hearings.

Aaron Hull, who coached the 2010 "We the People" team from GHS that finished in the top 10 nationally, said Pacchiana was gifted in both the social sciences and applied sciences.

"He was one of those students who used the program to develop his own public voice," Hull said. "When he spoke, he had something to say. In many ways, he was a consummate teammate."

A banner signed by the 2010 "We the People" team, which practiced weekly at 6:45 a.m. before classes, hangs in Hull's office. Pacchiana's signature is next to the letter "C" in "CT," for Connecticut.

"Heck of a kid" said Hull, who taught Pacchiana in Advanced Placement Government and Comparative Politics.

Born Aug. 3, 1992, at Greenwich Hospital, Pacchiania attended Glenville and Western Middle schools before GHS. He was an Eagle Scout, the highest ranking in Scouting, and served as an altar boy at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church at King Street and Sherwood Avenue.

"He was really excited to experience a different country," said Kevin Scanlan, 20, a childhood friend who played baseball with Pacchiana.

Scanlan also goes to UPenn, where Pacchiana was in the third year of a five-year master's program in mechanical engineering.

"He was down to earth," Scanlan said. "He was humble. He had bundles of energy. I always remember him as outdoorsy. I don't ever remember watching TV with him."

Scanlan's father told him about the accident on Monday.

"I couldn't imagine it," Scanlan said.

At GHS, Pacchiana played in the concert and marching bands under the direction of John Yoon. He originally played the baritone.

"We needed more tuba players and he was willing to make the switch," Yoon said. "Tuba is probably one of the most important instruments in a musical ensemble."

Yoon characterized Pacchiana as respectful of his teachers and fellow students.

"He was a great kid, a kid who really bought into the program and was willing to make things work for everyone," Yoon said. "He was one of those kids you wish you had hundreds of. He was not about being in the spotlight."

Pacchiana played the sousaphone -- a relative of the tuba -- in the marching band at Penn before dropping music to concentrate on his other endeavors, including Penn Electric Racing. The club, which Pacchiana captained, is devoted to the design of alternative energy cars.

Pacchiana, who was also pursuing a minor in computer science, had been accepted to a $16-per-hour mechanical engineering internship in State College, Pa., for this summer.

He also applied for an internship at the high-end electric car manufacturer Tesla.

"It's a tragedy. This is really a shock," Yoon said. "He was just an outstanding student in every way."